Method of casting ingots and seal for ingot molds



June 5, 1923. 1,457,763

J. R. ADAMS METHOD OF CASTING INGOTS AND SEAL FOR INGOT MOLDS Filed Aug. 14. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOI? ham 55s.- I T g Q7726 6' am 5 June 5, 1923. 1,457,763

J. R. ADAMS METHOD OF CASTING INGOTS AND SEAL FOR INGOT MOLDS Filed Aug. 14, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new Patented June 5, 1923.

JAMES R. ADAMS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF CASTING INGOTS AND SEAL FOR INGO T HOLDS.

Application filed August 14, 1922. Serial No. 581,583.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. ADAMS, a citizen of. the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia and and useful Improvement in Methods of Casting Ingots and Seal for Ingot Molds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the art of casting ingots which may subsequently be rolled into blooms, slabs, etc.

As is well known in the art, ingots of this character are cast in tapered metal molds I which are open at both the top and bottom,

and when positioned for casting. are supported on cars or other suitable supports. The molds are filled by bottom pouring ladles, which are supported from traveling cranes, and as soon as the ingots have been cooled sufiiciently to prevent bleeding, the molds are stripped therefrom and the cast ingots are usually transferred to soaking pits to cool the interior and raise the temperature of the outer surfaces of the ingots which were chilled by contact with the molds.

Various methods have been used to form tight joints between the molds and supports to prevent the molten metal from running out between the molds and their supports.

Fairly good results have been obtained by the use of some of the known methods, all of which are rather expensive to carry out, and as far as I know no cheap perfect method or means for preventing leakage caused by imperfect seals, blow-outs or cutting out of the seal by hot metal has been discovered prior to my invention.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple and effective method and means which can readily be carried out by the usual help employed for casting ingots, which will not only insure perfect joints between the molds and their supports, but will also cut down the time now required for positioning the molds and forming the joints. In fact, my method is so simple that all that need be done by the workmen is to drop the molds in their proper positions or the supports therefor, the joint being sealed automatically by the weight of the molds.

f-This is accomplished by providing packng rings, preferably of asbestos paper, havng a large number of closely s aced openings extending preferably parallel to each other, which are separated from each other by relatively thin walls. These rings are compressed between the molds and their supports and will form perfect seals between the molds and supports.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a side elevation, partially-in section, of a heavy ingot mold supported in accordance with my invention.

Flg. 2 1s a perspective view of a portion of a strip of material such as may be used for making packing rings in accordance with my invention. a

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one form of tube from which packing rings may be cut.

Fig. 4 is a ring such as cut from a tube such as shown in Fig 3.

. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another form of tube from which packing rings may be cut.

Fig. 6 is aplan view of a ring out from a tube such as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably use packing rings formed of continuous strips of asbestos paper wound spirally on a mandrel of suitable diameter and crosssectional shape to meet the requirements of the specific molds to be sealed by the rings cut therefrom. When making rings such as shown in Figs. 14, I preferably wind tubes a, such as shown in Fig. 3, having a plurality of convolutes 6, formed of composite strips having a straight or plain portion 0 and corrugated portion d, as shown in Fig. 2. The composite strip is wound upon a mandrel with the straight portion 0 contacting with the mandrel, the inner and outer ends of the strip being secured to the adjacent convolutes by means of a strip 6 of plain asbestos paper which is cemented thereto by means of silicate of soda or other in Fig. 4. By forming the packin rings in this manner, I can form relatively rm rings having parallel faces with a through central hole and a multiplicity of walls extending throughout the thickness of the ring and whose edges are in the same planes. The straight strips act as separators and binders for the corrugated portions and maintain the rings in a firm condition while handling and also insure the retention of the corrugated portions in their wound relation. The corrugated portions provide spaces in the d1iferent convolutes into which the diflerent portions of the walls may be displaced laterally when the rings are compressed and ermit such compression without danger of disrupting the ring by the radial pressure of one portion of the ring against another portion thereof, as well as forming a ring which is equally compressible at all portions of its faces. This compressibility insures the filling of all depressions in the faces of the mold or casting base, as hereinafter set forth.

The form above described and illustrated in Figs. let is particularly adapted for heavy molds, but is too rigid for light molds, and when light molds are to be sealed I prefer to use rings such as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. These rings may also be cut from formed tubes such as shown in Fig. 5.

This tube a of F i 5 is formed, in a similar manner to the tu e a of Fig. 2, of a strip having a straight sheet a and a corrugated sheet 01', which is wound on a mandrel to form a plurality of convolutes b. In this case, however, the corrugations extend in a spiral manner in the different convolutes. The ends of the strip may be secured by strips e. Rings f are cut from the tube a and as the corrugations ofl er but a slight resistance to crushing stresses, such rings may be used for sealing relatively light molds.

When preparing to pour a heat, molds g are set up on a suitable casting bed 72, with a packing ring f between each mold and the bed. As each mold is lowered by means of a crane so as to be supported from the bed, the high spots on both bed and mold will first engage the upper and lower edges of the various walls of the ring f formed by the paper strips. This movement of the mold toward the bed after contact with the ring will first shift the different walls longitudinally relativeto each other in accordance with the conformation of the surfaces until the opposite edges of the portions of the walls are engaged. As soon as this occurs, those portions of" the walls between oppositely engaged edges will buckle and will be forced into the spaces formed by the corru ation, or will be compressed and flattened i the cor rugations run horizontally instead of vertically, and as the mold continues to descend, the various edge portions will be successively engaged in accordance with the conformation of the surfaces, after which the walls are buckled and pressed fiat between the mold and supporting bed and will seal the joint between the mold and bed.

lVhen the heat is ready (assuming that the open hearth process is being used), the

either placed in soaking pits or piled in a.

suitable place.

By thus forming packing rin s with a multiplicity of holes separated rom each other by relatively thin walls extending from face to face of the rin the wall portions first engaged when ositioning the mold will be displaced lateral y into the openingsadjacent to such wall portions, while the wall portions later engaged will be displaced into the remaining space of said openings, so that when the full weight of the mold is supported by the packing ring, all portions of the faces of the ring will be subjected to substantially the same pressure regardless of the conformation of the surfaces of the mold and bed, and thereby form a perfect seal for the mold.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of casting ingots comprising the steps of placing on a castin base a compressib e packing of non-com ustible material with non-communicating openin s therein, then placing the mold on the pac ing and first displacing the walls between adjacent openings relative to each other in accordance with the conformation of the surfaces of the mold and base and compress ing the packing between the mold and the casting base to seal the space between the mold and base, and then pouring hot metal into the mold.

2. The combination of an ingot mold having an open top and an open bottom, a casting base and a compressed seal between the base and mold, said seal bein formed of non-combustible flexible materia having a large central opening and a plurality of closely spaced non-communicating openings therein, the walls surrounding the openings being thin and arranged to be compressed vertically to fill any depressions in the surfaces of the mold and base, while the surplus material is pressed laterall into the openings, whereby a perfect seal 1s formed between the bottom of the mold and the casting base.

3. A packing ring for formin a seal between an ingot mold and a mo (1 support, formed of non-combustible pliable material and having a plurality of thin walls extending from face to face with a multiplicity of holes between said walls, whereby the compressive resistance of the ring from face to face materially exceeds the compressive resistance between the inner and outer peripheries thereof.

4. A packing ring for forming a seal between the bottom of an ingot mold and a mold base, comprising a ring-like structure formed of asbestos fibre with a central opening therethrough and a plurality of noncommunicating closely spaced openings therein, whereby the material between the openings may be pressed laterally into the openings so that the material between said openings is under the same pressure at all points, regardless of unevenness on the mold and mold base when between a mold and base.

5. A packing rin for forming a seal between an ingot molf and a support therefor, comprising a ring .formed of a plurality of convolutes of asbestos paper, each convolute having therein a corrugated strip and a continuous strip to form closely spaced noncommunicating openings.

6. A packing ring for forming a seal between an ingot mold and a support thereof, comprising a ring formed of a plurality of plaitings of asbestos paper with one or more continuous sheets of asbestos paper adherent to the summits of said plaitings and holding said plaiting in proper spaced relation.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, Pa., on this 5th day of August, 1922.

JAMES R. ADAMS, 

